Although not exhibited at The Royal Academy until 1921 the present work seems likely to have been painted during Knight's time in Newlyn, where he and his wife Laura lived from 1908. It bears comparison to similar 'en plain air' paintings such as 'Portrait of Florence' (circa 1909-10, Private Collection), and "The Bathing Pool' (1916, The Laing Art Gallery), the former an intimate depiction of the future Mrs Alfred Munnings, who suffered from severe depression and with whom the reserved and introverted Knight formed a close friendship, before her suicide in 1914. In the present work, the subject's face is obscured, her pale gown reflecting the white veronicas which are, in turn, silhouetted against the ethereal and complex morning light, elements which together, give rise to a pervasive sense of harmony with nature. It was the distinctive West Country light which first attracted artists to Newlyn, light which eminent writer and poet Arthur Symons described as having '...an air of dreams, at once formidable and mysterious, every hour has its own charm and character, which change visibly and in surprising ways.' (A. Symons, 'At Land's End, Cities, Coasts and Islands, London 1918)